In addition to Christmas, it’s pretty customary for a Jewish family living on Long Island to have Chinese on Sunday nights. My dad would often order take-out from a charming place called Sun Ming in Huntington that looked like a palace, was two-stories high and had an amazing Tiki-style lounge. While Sun Ming no longer stands (and that makes me so sad), they had the best Egg Drop and Wonton soups. Now seeing as my dad could usually never decide upon the two, he often combined them into what is commonly known as Egg Drop Wonton Soup. This super simple recipe I have come up is truly representative of the best of them. Not only is it the perfect consistency, loaded with wontons and egg ribbons coursing through the soup, but it boasts vibrant colors to match its deep flavor.
Watch The Video!
Cooking The Broth
Preparing The Eggs
Preparing the Cornstarch Slurry
Post-Pressure Cooking Touches
Adding The Wontons
Thickening The Soup
Egg Dropping
The Taste Test
Egg Drop Wonton Soup
In addition to Christmas, it's pretty customary for a Jewish family living on Long Island to have Chinese on Sunday nights. Now seeing as my dad could usually never decide upon the two, he often combined them into what is commonly known as Egg Drop Wonton Soup. This super simple recipe I have come up is truly representative of the best of them. Not only is it the perfect consistency, loaded with wontons and egg ribbons coursing through the soup, but it boasts vibrant colors to match its deep flavor.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken, vegetable, or garlic broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt (plus more to taste, if desired)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 10 ounces frozen corn kernels (optional)
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced, with some reserved for topping the soup
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1/2-2 pounds wontons or dumplings of your choice (either from frozen or made fresh - see Jeff's Tips)
- 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch + 2-3 tablespoons cold water, mixed together to form a slurry
- 3 large eggs + 3 egg whites, beaten in a bowl
- 1/2-1 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Add the broth, seasoned salt, ground ginger, garlic powder, sessame oil, and corn (if using) to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid, move the valve to the sealing position, and hit Manual or Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes. Quick release when done.
- Hit Cancel and then Sauté and Adjust so it's on the More or High setting. Add the scallions and turmeric. Once the soup begins to bubble, add the frozen wontons and then let them cook for 5 minutes (regardless if they were frozen or fresh). Then add the cornstarch slurry and stir for another minute until the soup has thicken (see Jeff's Tips on the soup's thickness level).
- Hit Cancel to turn the pot off. Once the bubbles begin to die down, simultaneously pour in the beaten eggs with one hand while gently raking the eggs through the soup with a large serving fork in the other hand (a larger-sized dinner fork can also be used). Almost immediately, you'll see beautiful egg ribbons form in the soup! Do this for about 1 minute, until the eggs are cooked through.
- Taste the soup. If you find it could use a little more seasoned salt, stir in a few sprinkles until you're happy. And if you want it a bit zesty, add some of that optional white pepper!
- Ladle into bowls and top with additional scallions and perhaps some Chinese noodles, if you desire.
Jeffrey's Tips
This egg white separator is great, cheap, and a must-have in your kitchen!
I like pressure cooking this soup as I feel it infuses the spices and sesame oil into the broth in a special way, but you can also totally make this on your stovetop instead of the Instant Pot! Simply follow all the Steps as is, but just bring the soup to a simmer in a pot on the stove, slightly covered, for about 10 minutes before moving onto Step 2.
You can make my wontons here if you have the time! If not, use your favorite frozen brand from found in the freezer section of most general markets, and especially Asian markets!
I suggest 1 1/2 - 2 pounds of wontons for 6 cups for broth, but you can really use how many you wish (I just wouldn't exceed 2 pounds so it doesn't dominate the soup too much.
You can keep this vegetarian by using veggie-only wontons or dumplings and vegetable or garlic broth.
For a thinner soup, start with 2 tablespoons each of the cornstarch and water for the slurry. If after stirring in Step 2 you decide you want it thicker, then add another tablespoon of each.
Jeffery Edwards
This recipe is super simple and easy to follow. Plus the tips you added for reference are great. This is a must have item when I order Chinese and now I can make it at home. I just picked up some shrimp wontons from Costco yesterday and I’m ready to begin this culinary adventure!
Jeffrey
Thanks so much! Thrilled you enjoyed 🙂
Mike
At the point you add the frozen wontons to the bubbling broth, should you wait for the broth to start to bubble again before you start the 5-minute timer?